Once upon a time, long before careers, weddings, and grown-up lives, there were two teenagers named Alex and Julia. They met at just 14 years old through their mutual friend Mark, and like so many young friendships, theirs was a little messy, a little funny, and a little unforgettable. Time, as it does, drifted on. Life got busy, paths separated, and the friendship quietly faded into the background. In fact, tucked away somewhere in Julia’s teenage diary was a very dramatic entry declaring that she hated Alex. More than 20 years later, fate decided it wasn’t quite finished with them. Alex started working at Teknor Apex, a place filled with many of Julia’s friends and family. Suddenly, their worlds began to overlap again. They’d bump into each other here and there, never quite syncing up. There may or may not have even been an unforgettable “beer in ketchup” incident that didn’t exactly help their love story. But fate kept nudging. Then came one night in 2017 at Boundary Brewhouse. Julia was there after her kickball game, as she often was. Alex just happened to be there too. This time, something shifted. Maybe it was timing, maybe it was persistence but Alex showed up again the following week. He asked Julia out. She said no. But Alex didn’t give up. With a little determination (and maybe just the right amount of charm), he eventually wore her down and she finally said yes. He was extremely good looking after all. Their first date was at L'Artisan Café & Bakery, followed by a walk on the East Side with Cooper tagging along. And somewhere between lunch, laughter, and that walk, everything clicked. From that moment on, they were inseparable. 9 years later they have decided to make it official. And as it turns out, sometimes the person you once wrote about hating in your diary… ends up being the love story you were meant to live all along.